big yard = no walks?

We have a dog park in my condo development which we use to run around and play in. The chis still get their walks because I feel that dogs need walks... we do it for bonding and mental stimulation.

I've always had a small yard, so I wouldn't know LOL

I would like to say, that I hope a dog is getting occasional walks, for socialization, and leash manner's in public at least

I'm with RD, I'd be walking 20 hrs a day if that was the only exercise I could provide Gunnar. Bruzer isn't so bad, he gets pretty wiped out just keeping up with Gunnar out in the yard. We have a pretty good sized lot, 2/3 acre, and about half of it is fenced.

I do try and walk Gunnar daily, but sometimes it doesn't happen. He definitely gets at least 30 minutes of hard exercise a day out in the yard. I use 2 balls, a former football and a former basketball, throw one, as he returns it, throw the other. I can keep him sprinting for an extended period this way. I might do 10-15 tosses with each ball, then give him a short break, then start again. I also do something where I toss the ball about 5-6' in the air while he's about 20' away, and he'll leap to it and snag it out of the air. As he lands I toss the 2nd ball the same way, he'll drop the 1st and snag the 2nd. I can keep this going for a fair number of tosses before he misses.

The one thing we don't do in the yard is play frisbee, for that we go up to the school, where I can toss it a long distance. 20-30 throws, THEN we go for the walk, lol. I know once I get his panting into double time, he's getting his exercise in.

Just talked about this last night! I've been so busy with Christmas boarders, haven't spent any time with my own dog or a clients dog. Both being shown in 2 weeks. Went out for training last night and in a group of 20 dogs, both of mine were antsy, pulling on leash, eager to play verses work. They need to get out of the yard to develope social skills, use their brains and learn to behave appropriately in public. Ball throwing and running amuck in the yard doesn't cut it if you want a happy well, behaved pup in public.

I don't have an enclosed yard in my Condo development but I do have a dog park 5 minutes from my home ( walking time, car not needed to get there). I take Smokey there every day and she runs the obstacle course in the very large fenced in area, but after that is over ( about 15 minutes at most, if there are no other dogs to play with), she heads for the exit and is ready to walk some more. I think she would be very unhappy if she had to give up her walks ( 4 + miles a day average) and only have a fenced yard to walk around. She loves to walk and explore....

This was just the subject of a big debate on another forum I go to. It started when a man who is physically unable to walk a dog regularly posted asking if he would still be able to provide a good home. He wanted to get a corgi. Boy were there some difeering opinions!
My dogs NEEEEED to get out to run and play, retrieve, sniff and explore. It seems like there are some breeds that don't need as much but would still benefit from at least a 20 minute sniffy walk if for no other reason than to have a chance to see some new sights and smell some new smells and get some continuous exercise.
Personally I don't see how anyone could own a dog and not walk it when the dogs love it so much. Running the dogs is often the best hour or two of my day!

Roxie craves her daily walks. After a certain point in the morning, she sits and stares at you until you take her for her walk. She even recognizes with my mom is about to end a phone call and starts to get excited because she knows she's going to get to go. My parents have a huge area for the dogs to play in. There's a big yard and lots of surrounding woods. The woods is where we (my mom usually or me when I'm back home) walk them and they can go there by themselves, but it's just not the same as when we walk with them. Walks are such a great bonding experience for you and your dog, and I find it very peaceful and stress relieving for me.

I think walks around the block, down the street, through the neighborhood, etc. are very important despite whether the dog has a huge backyard to play in. Hand walking/jogging not only is a great way of conditioning a dog (very different than sprints around a yard), but provides much needed mental stimulation & enjoyment for a dog. After a while, your backyard begins to look the same and so the dog gets mentally bored. A nice long walk allows the dog to view different scenery, be exposed to new people, dogs, cars, smells, etc., & also provides a great time to work on some much needed obedience.

I'm also one of those who do not walk their dogs daily. My 3Ms are small dogs, and my fenced in yard is huge. I think they get enough excercise chasing each other around. I do spend plenty of time daily to play fetch, cuddle, train, and provide individual attention to each one of them. Beside this, I take them out (to my parents & in-laws' houses) weekly, and once in a while we go to the dog park or dog beach where they get their socialization times.

I think it depends on the individial's situation and also the dog breeds, because some may need more stimulation & excercise than the others.

Daily my dogs don't really get walks-there are times with school adn running the house that they don't get a real walk for weeks.

But the thing is there walks are about the same as them running around my back yard so I don't see it as that big of an issue.

I can go and walk to the end of my yard and my dog gets mroe exercise than if I was to leash him and take him to the local park.


This is my back yard and the part the dogs can go to is the entire left side and litterally twenty acres back. They usually don't go far back jsut out to the sides. My neighbor to the right has a couple acres in between us that are shared between our dogs(they got my last rescues) and they all go their and play together.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v195/joceboo/100_3063.jpg
this is the side field
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v195/joceboo/100_3064.jpg
And this is a very smal view of the back field
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v195/joceboo/100_3070.jpg

Ditto! Lizzie does the zoomies in the yard a lot when playing with Major! lol

For Lizzie, Walking is a bonding time and training time I time to get away from the house and noise that I have with 3 siblings. She gets to some times see other doggies and play, smell new smells and train with me(which she LOVES)

She is never that tired when we come back from our walks either, she could walk all day!

But, yes I think most dogs should at least get out once a week for a walk or going to the park to play or meet new people. Dogs need that socializing they get from getting out and being on a leash and training with their owners.

I would never even think about not walking Casey, she LOVES her walks and so do I. With college somedays they are not as long as they used to be but she WILL no matter what get at least one walk almost every day of the year (recently we missed one because I couldn't walk due to a splinter lol).

Casey lives for her walks, yes she can get exercise in the garden but walking is about mental stimulation, exploring, meeting people and searching for good 'sniffies' lol. I know how happy she is when she's flying along the beach and the woods are like heaven to her, and me. To keep her in the garden and not take her out would be like keeping her in prison imo. However yes, we do have safe places to walk even if we live in a large town there are a lot of choices avaliable to us and for that I am thankful.

I feel guilty if we go on the same trail more than about 3 or 4 consecutive times. "This must be getting boring for you. Next time we'll do the lake trail." I have all kinds of land but the dogs love their outings, new smells, just the thrill of doing something different. Our walks/hikes are for exercise, training practice and just for fun and novelty. It breaks up the day for all of us. Dogs LOVE walks. It's about their most favorite thing in the world.

When my old Lab was getting sicker and weaker and her walks were getting shorter and shorter, eventually only a little bit out in the yard, it was the saddest thing about her growing old. She was such a joyful thing on her walks. Her tail would just go and go with a full body wiggle. It was her absolute favorite thing. That was about the time I started really realizing that this was no life for her.

I've lived on farms and other kinds of acreages most of my adult life, like I do now and the dogs can run if they want to....but they don't too much unless they're playing or chasing something. The still love their outings.

Oh Doberluv that must have been heartbreaking, I'm sorry. Thats my greatest fear about Casey getting older, like I said she lives for her walks.

I agree though, no matter how much land I will have in the future walks are just soooooo much fun for dogs! Casey loves our holidays to Scotland, all the exploring and walking = a VERY happy Casey and in return a VERY happy Kirsty.

Yes Kirsty. It is the worst thing when you see their quality of life slipping away. But, I guess that's just the way it goes. You compensate the best you can with other things. You give Casey a wonderful life with all the nice places you take her. So, that is always a good feeling when it's time for them to go....that they did have a nice, enriching life.

I live on a lot of land, and a good portion of it is set for my dogs. They romp and run and play, and unless I feel like taking them out with me to run a few errands, they don't really go on walks. They get all the exercise and mental stimulation they need right here on my little farm.

Well I think that where you live is a factor too. If we lived at my house in Brittany in France, you bet my dogs would have lots of walks. In the neighborhood here, it's boring for the three of us

I agree walking for us is bonding, training, and stiimulation time. All three of enjoy getting away and spending time with just us outside in a different environment. Yes, we have 6 acres and we run around here and have jolly good fun but sometimes it's nice to take a little adventure.
I haven't been enjoying walks that much, lately, though, because of all the development.
I'm trying to find a new place to go walk.
Also when we walk I go with my friend and her dog so I get to see my friend and the dogs get to see their friend and it's social time for them and me as well.

i think it depends very much on what kind of quality time you're spending with your dogs. there are plenty of ways to keep a dog's brain busy and occupied as well as exercise them without leash-walking.

my own dogs get leash walked close to daily, but i'd be in big trouble if i had to rely soley on leash-walking for exercise (as luce so generously proved to me during her two weeks of crate rest and leash walks only. oy.)

My dogs are outside dogs and kept in a large fenced in area, about one acre. The two setters were both bred for hunting... they do not stop running the entire day, literally. They believe walks are torture. I do let them out to play on a regular basis in the entire yard [3 acres], and that is our bonding time. With my two goldens, they like walks, and I do walk them every month or so, but only when the weather is nice. They MUCH rather get their exercise by being let out to run in the yard, retrieve, swim in the pool [may-october], work on obedience, and do other activities. So that is what we do... it's all about FUN! They wouldn't rather have it any other way.